You are here
Home > Prospects >

Sabres end-of-season prospect rankings

by Chad DeDominicis - 1

It was an odd season for a handful of Buffalo Sabres prospects. Most played in shorten seasons that were impacted by Covid-19. Some players even had to play in leagues that were likely above their head.

As we head into the offseason and draft talk, I felt now was a good time to evaluate the current state of the Sabres prospect pool. Before we go too far, it’s important to first classify which players graduated from prospects to NHL players. For this evaluation, I’ve graduated Dylan Cozens, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Rasmus Asplund, Jacob Bryson, and Will Borgen.

Based on their age and the amount of games played at the NHL level, I no longer view them as “prospects.”

When I rank the players, you’ll notice a letter tier for each in the heading. Here is how I view each tier:

A – Elite player, top line forward, top pair defenseman, franchise goaltender

B – Very good prospect, middle six forward, top four defenseman, NHL goaltender

C – Average prospect, bottom six forward, bottom pair defenseman, NHL backup

D – Poor prospect, AHL player/tweener

Let’s get to the rankings.

1. Ryan Johnson | LD | Age 19 | University of Minnesota | Tier – B

Johnson takes over as my top prospect in the Sabres system. I did a complete 180 on this player this season. I made it a focus point to watch every game of Johnson this season and I’m glad I did. He had a great sophomore season for the University of Minnesota.

He was a key part of the team that won the Big Ten tournament this season. Bob Motzko leaned on Johnson and freshman defender Brock Faber.

Going into the season I undervalued his defensive game. He’s strong in his own end of the ice and when you combine that with his high-end skating, he’s a nightmare in transition for the opponent.

The part of Johnson’s game that truly evolved this season was his ability to impact the game offensively. As a freshman, he had no goals and eight points in 37 games. In 27 games this season he had two goals and 14 points. His impact goes beyond the points. In the games I tracked, he was the top defenseman on the roster in primary shot contributions at 5 on 5.

Johnson’s vision and skating make him a dynamic player on the rush. That’s where he was able to generate scoring opportunities for his team.

It’s also important to note how he was a key player for Team USA in the World Juniors on their way to a Gold Medal. He started the tournament getting limited minutes, but by the medal round he earned the trust of head coach Nate Leaman. He was on the ice late in the game holding the lead over Canada to secure Gold.

At this point, it appears that Johnson will be headed back to Minnesota for his junior season.

2. Jack Quinn | F | Age 19 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – B

Quinn was one of the players that had their season greatly impacted by Covid-19. He was supposed to go back to the OHL as the go-to player for the Ottawa 67’s. However, with the OHL not having a season he spent the year in the AHL. He probably wasn’t ready to play at that level, but he held his own for the most part.

We later found out that Quinn was battling a hernia for the majority of the season. It started all the way back during the World Juniors while he was playing for Canada.

In the games I tracked, his on-ice numbers were not impressive, but that’s not uncommon for a player of his age in that league. Not to mention the Amerks were a team that gave up a lot of shots against.

Quinn got better as the season went along. He started to flash more consistently with his offensive play. He’s good in tight spaces and has nice vision on the ice. That makes him a lethal offensive threat when you combine that with his scoring ability.

I’m going to do a more in-depth look at Quinn’s season in the next week or so. I’m curious if the Sabres have him start in the AHL next season or if they believe he’s NHL-ready.

3. J.J. Peterka | F | Age 19 | EHC Munchen | Tier – B

For me, the difference between Peterka and Quinn is minimal. I gave the edge to Quinn this year because he played in a more difficult league and didn’t seem out of place.

The German-born winger was excellent in the World Juniors. He registered four goals and 10 points in five games against his peers in that tournament. He’s aggressive on the forecheck and goes to the danger areas on the ice. He may turn out to be a steal for the Sabres as a second-round pick.

Peterka got off to a slow start when he returned to his team in DEL, but he finished strong. He scored nine goals and registered 20 points in 30 games playing in the German pro league.

He’s another player to watch to see if he jumps to the AHL next season.

4. Mattias Samuelsson | LD | Age 21 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – B

Samuelsson had a strong rookie season as a pro. He was the Amerks best defenseman and that earned him the opportunity to get a few NHL games this season. The big defender showed some improved footwork this year and was more of an offensive threat than I thought he would be.

He held his own playing in the NHL with a difficult partner. I still think he could use a little more time in the AHL, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sabres see him as a bottom pair defenseman next season.

5. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | G | Age 22 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – B

Luukkonen honestly may have fallen out of my top five if it wasn’t for how he played with the Sabres at the end of the season. He had an inconsistent season playing for three teams. He started his year in Liiga playing for TPS and was top five in the league in save percentage before he came over to North America.

With the Amerks he played 14 games and had a .888 save percentage. He started the year strong, but struggled in his final few games in Rochester after the team missed a few weeks with a Covid-19 breakout.

Due to all of the injuries, he got a shot to see time in the NHL and didn’t disappoint. He played well for the Sabres earning his first career win and registered a .906 save percentage. Luukkonen only appeared in four games, but his -1.36 goals saved above expected was the best among any goaltender on the team in Evolving Hockey’s model.

6. Oskari Laaksonen | RD | Age 21 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – C

Laaksonen was another rookie on the Amerks blue line this season. The offensive side of his game showed up this season, with two goals and 17 points in 28 games in the AHL. He also put up strong numbers in Liiga to start the season with four goals and 12 points in 20 games. Laaksonen was selected as an All-Star for the North Division to cap off a good rookie campaign.

The area of his game that I want to see improvement is defensively. I feel like this is an area that he struggled with in the AHL. Turnovers also became an issue again at points throughout the year.

If he puts together a strong season next year in the AHL, I’d probably move him back into the tier B group.

7. Erik Portillo | G | Age 20 | University of Michigan | Tier – B

If Portillo played more hockey I may have rated him higher on this list. He only saw seven games with the Wolverines last season as a freshman but did put up good numbers with a .935 save percentage.

With Strauss Mann going pro, the net belongs to Portillo next season at the University of Michigan. He’ll be interesting to keep an eye next season as the starter in a tough Big Ten Conference.

8. Aaron Huglen | F | Age 20 | Fargo Force | Tier – C

Huglen played his first hockey in a year and a half this year after dealing with a back injury. He showcased his offensive upside in the USHL playing for Fargo. He had 15 goals and 35 points in 39 games. He added another three goals and eight points in nine playoff games. He led his team to the Clark Cup but lost to the Chicago Steel.

Huglen will be interesting to watch as he heads to the University of Minnesota next season. I always felt that if he could get on the ice that he could be an interesting prospect for the Sabres.

9. Lukas Rousek | F | Age 22 | HC Sparta | Tier – C

Rousek had a great 2020-21 campaign and earned himself an entry-level contract with the Sabres. He was a sixth-round pick back in 2019. The 22-year-old forward has developed nicely playing in the Czech pro league. He registered 14 goals and 38 points in 49 games for HC Sparta. He’ll be a fun player to watch in Rochester next season.

Rousek could be one of the rare late-round finds for the Sabres if he continues to head down this development path that he’s on.

10. Linus Weissbach | F | Age 23 | University of Wisconsin | Tier – D

Weissbach is another late-round pick that has shown some promise. He was a seventh-round pick of the Sabres back in 2017. Have to give credit where it’s due when a player picked that late in the draft earns an entry-level contract.

Personally, I’m not as high on Weissbach as some other people. His chance to impress me was his junior year at Wisconsin and he failed to do so. He put together strong numbers as a senior, scoring 12 goals and 41 points in 31 games. I’m skeptical of taking too much away from a player that puts up big numbers in his senior year and he played with the best player in college hockey in Cole Caufield.

I’m ready to be proven wrong, but I see him as an NHL/AHL tweener. He’ll be a player that Amerks fans will enjoy watching if he can bring that scoring ability he had this season with the Badgers.

To prevent this from getting too long I’m just going to list the next group of prospects without a blurb about them to wrap this up.

11. Brett Murray | F | Age 22 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – D

12. Brandon Biro | F | Age 23 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – D

13. Casey Fitzgerald | RD | Age 24 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – D

14. Albert Lyckasen | RD | Age 19 | Linkoping HC | Tier – C

15. Matej Pekar | F | Age 20 | Rochester Amerks | Tier – D

When you look over this prospect pool, it probably sits in the bottom portion of the NHL. They have no elite prospects at the moment, which is not ideal if they’re planning to head into a rebuild. The good news is they’ll add one in the top three of the 2021 NHL Draft. They’ll likely add a few if they do decide to move Jack Eichel this summer.

Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
This content is available exclusively to members of Expected's Patreon at $5 or more.

One thought on “Sabres end-of-season prospect rankings”

Comments are closed.

Top